The state Division of Health Service Regulation investigated the hospital after a patient committed suicide this summer. The hospital made immediate changes to all 20 rooms in the unit, but more were needed to ensure another patient did not have the opportunity to take his or her own life. The unit will shut down Jan. 1 and reopen no later than March 1.

Ruth Marler is chief operating officer of the Smithfield hospital. “We are changing the hinges on the door so they are closed hinges, which means you can’t get a fabric in the door that you could harm yourself with,” she said. “Light fixtures will be changed so there is nothing that can be taken out. The commodes will have the push button so there is nothing to pull out and swallow. We are upgrading the beds so they do have any metal apparatuses.”

The renovations are expected to cost $320,430, but the hospital and the Johnston County Health Department are seeking a $250,000 grant from the state to cover some of the expense. The remaining $70,430 would come from the hospital’s operating fund.

The hospital has a plan for patients while the Behavioral Health Unit is closed. “They will come in through the emergency room, and we have trained staff to assess them, whether it be the Behavioral Health Unit staff, emergency department physicians or a psychiatrist on call,” said Jim Perpich, the hospital’s marketing director. “If it is decided that they need behavioral health care, they will get moved to an outpatient care facility or admitted to a nearby facility.”